Mechanically-operated lead pencil



' Patented' July 26;"1921'.

, UNITED srAT ES PATENT 'orne-E.. ,i

CHARLES 11. :EAA'JJrnN, orrnovIDENcn, RHODE ISLAND, AssIeNonrro REX MANU- FACTURING "COMPANY, or rRovrDENcn, RHODE ISLAND, A. conronArrIoN or RHODE ISLAND.

EEOHANICAL|Y-OPERATED LEAD PENCIL; i

' Application led'F'ebruary 12, 1927. `Serial Nol-167.740.

l This invention relates to improvements in mechanically-operated lead pencils of the type havinga magazine from which leads may be fed continuously one -followin another by a reciprocatin movement o the feeding mechanism; an Ithe object of this invention is' to vprovide an improved clutchmeans for grippingand feeding the'lead to working position.` i

A further*i object of the :invention is to construct the clutch for gripping and feeding the lead forwardly by pivotally m0u-ntinga plurality of jaws with means for causf ing these jawsto grip the lead at one end of its reciprocating stroke and release the lead at the opposite end of itsreciprocating With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain'nov-el features of construction, as willl be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims. Y In the accompanying drawings: -F'gure 1 is a sectional view of the pencil with'the jaws in retracted gripping position.

Figure 2 isa sectional viewshowing' the feed' mechanism moved to its for-.ward position with'theA jaws ,released for return to.

` retract-ed position.

lead guide tube. Y

. Figure 4is a sectional endview of the guide tube on line 1 -4 ofFigure 3.

Figure 5 is a central sectional viewof the I plug for one end of-the lead magazine which also acts as an. abutment for one end of the v 'spring for Amoving the lead-guiding tube to retracted position. l

`1z0 abutment member for one end of the bore of the point end bushing. i

Figure 7 is a central sectional' view :of the cylindrical collar for operating the jaws by a sliding movement .along the outer surface .45 ol the lead-guiding tube.u I

i Figure 8 is a perspective'viewof one of the jaw members of the clutch.

mounted in a pointend bushing.

Figure 3 is a central sectional View of the Figure 6 is a centralsec'tional view of thei Figure 9is a sectional view on an enlarged' scale showing the relation of -the clutch mechanism V.and its.. operating collar as.'

Figure l() is a` section on line lll-lll of Figure 9.

It is found in practice desirable to provide a mechanically-operated pencil, the leads 0f which may be fed forward 'one' after the other from amagazine in which they are stored into'working position byppressing'the rear end of the pencil, it/being especially desirable that the clutch mechanism for feeding the leads maybe positive in its action and in order to provide a practical and yet simple -'clutch means, I have provided .a

-plurality of Alongitudinal slots in the lead guide tube with an annular recess in the outer surface of the tube intermediate the Iends of the slotsI and positioned jaws in the slots with laterally deflected iingers in the annular recess to provide a pivot point about which the jaws may be rocked vby sliding a collar along the surface of the tube; and the. following is. a detailed description'of the present embodiment of this invention and showing one means by which these advantageous ,results may be accompl1shed:-

lVith reference to the drawings, 10. desighates the barrel of a pencil, which may be" 'ot rubberr1netal,celluloid or other suitable material lith afpoint bushing 1,1 threaded mio one end thereof to support a point sleeve .lwhich is secured in position, by means ol a steel point end 13 having threaded engagement as at 14 with the bushing 11.- The feeding mechanism for the leads of, the pencil is mounted 4 in the point end bushing 11 and comprisesa lead-carryingtube `15 having longitudi'nally-disposedslots 16 therein and anan'nular.recess-1T in itsouter surface each has a finger portion 419 deflected laterally therefrom' to lie in the recess 17 Aabout which the jaw member may rock as a pivot. `These jaws are so shaped as to. provide an enlarged portion A2() at one end which when r the-jawsare in released ppsition, as illus-A thejaws 21 so formed that when the jaws -trat'ed 4in Figure '2. projectfbeyond the surface. of the tube 15 and the opposite end of 10o are in gripping position as 'illustrated in 'Figure 1, this`portion'21extends beyondthe surface of the tube in a like manner, and in order that these jaws may be moved to grip and release position, I have mounted a collar 22 which substantially fits the lead-carrying tube 15 to slide therealong so that when the collar is in the position shown in Figure 1 it will cause the jaws to grip the lead while when the collar is in the posltion shown in Figure 2, it will engage the ends 21 of the jaws 17 to move these jaws to released position, as illustrated in Figure 2. The tube 15 with its collarand clutch jaws is positioned in the bore 23 oi' the point end bushing 11, which bore is reduced as at 24 to form a shoulder 25 against which the collar 22 contacts to limlt the movement in one direction, the bore 24 being of a size to permit the tube 15 and the clutch mechanism with iaws 17 in their most ex tended position to slide therein.

A stop shoulder 26 is formed at the opposite end of the bore 23 by means of an abutment member 27 in threaded engagement with the bushing 11. In order that the leadcarrying tube4 may move to its retractedl position, I have provided a spring 28 which engages with the abutment member 27 and a shoulder 29 of a plug 30 secured to the lead-carrying tube to move this tube relative to the barrel 10 and bushing 11 to its retracted position. lThe plug 3() which is threaded into the end of the tube 15 and provided with a bore 31which is ilared as at 32 to direct the leads 33 of the magazine 34: into the bore 31 and thence to be gripped by the clutch jaws 17, as illustrated vin Figure 1.

Manual pressure applied to the rear end 35 of the pencil causes a movement of thisl end relative to the barrel 10. An endways movement of this character is transmitted through the magazine:- tube 36 slidably mounted in the plug 37 to the lead-car ing tube 15 through the plug 30 to move it om the position illustrated in Figure 1 to the position illustrated in Figure 2. B such movement the lead 38 is fed forwar' y into the friction guide tube 39 where it is retamed during the return movement. of the jaws 17 to their retracted position under mfluence of spring 28 to secure another grip o n tle lead for further movement when deslre Themagazine tube 36 is preventedfrom rotation in its guide plug 37 by means of a slot 40 in the tube with the linger 41 extending into the slot and is limited in its,

reciprocating movementvby means ofspun annular projections 42 and 43.

It will be apparent that the extent of feed of the lead from each reciprocating stroke may be varied by the length of the bore'23 or the collar 22 may be held stationary and the length of the'reciprocating feed varied by the length andshape vof the jaws 21 stroke and that this result is accomplished byj simple and practical construction which is comparatively inexpensive to mal'iufactulje.

The Jforegoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I re serve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, thev invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A. mechanical lead pencil including a barrel portion, a lead guide tube mounted therein for reciprocating movement relative thereto, pivotally mounted jaws extending through the walls of said tube, and means for causing said jaws to grip and release a lead in said tube at opposite ends of a reciprocating stroke of said tube relative to said barrel.

2. A mechanical lead pencil including a barrel portion, a lead guide tube mounted therein for endways movement relative thereto, a plurality of jaws extending through the walls of said tube, means for pivotally mounting said jaws intermediate their ends, manually operable means or reciprocating said tube relative to sald barrel,

and means for operating said jaws to grip the lead at one end of the reciprocating stroke and release said lead at the opposite end of said stroke,

3. A mechanically-operated pencil includ ing a barrel portion, a. lead-guide tube mounted in'said barrel for endways movement having spaced longitudinally-disposed slots in the wall. of said tubeand an annu- `lar recess in its outer surface, jaws in said slots having laterally-deflected fingers in said recess Vabout which they swing as a pivot, a collar slidable along said tube to operate said-jaws, means to reciprocate said tube relative to said barrel, and means for causing said collar to move relative to said jaws upon the reciprocation of said tube.

llU

4. Ajmechanically-operated pencil including Aa barrel portion, a lead guide tube mounted in said barrel for endways move ment having spaced longitudinally-disposed slots in the wall of said tube and an annular recess in its outer surface between the ends of' said slots, jaws in said slots having laterally-deflected fingers intermediate their ends in said recess about which they swing as a pivot, a collar slidable alongv said tube to operate said jaws, said jaws being` so --shaped as tohave portions at one end extend beyond the surface offsaid tube to be engaged by said collar to force the jaws into said collar is slidable, stops at'the opposite gripping position and portions at the other ends of said bore to limit the movement of end of said jaws to cause the collar to move said collar' relative to said tube for the op- 19 thereon to release position when engaged by eration of said jaws.

5 said collar, manual means for reciprocating In testimony whereof I affix my signature.'A

said tube relative to said barrel, a bushing fixed to said barrel vhaving; a bore in which CHARLES H. PATTEN. 

